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Suspicions (episode)
Dr. Crusher violates Starfleet regulations and medical ethics when she investigates the death of a Ferengi scientist. Summary Teaser Guinan visits Dr. Crusher in her quarters, complaining of tennis elbow. Crusher tells her she had better see Dr. Selar instead and then breaks the news that she is no longer a doctor on the ship and will be facing a court martial soon. Act One Crusher expresses her frustration at the next few weeks as she will face Admiral . She clearly disagrees with the circumstances of the impending end of her career. In her usual style, Guinan insists on her elbow getting treated to calm Crusher down and asks about what happened. A Ferengi scientist, Dr. Reyga, has created a metaphasic shielding technique and had presented it at the Altine Conference, but his unorthodox methods have left most scientists in the field ignoring his work. Dr. Crusher decided to play "scientific diplomat" and invite other scientists in the field to come to the and view a demonstration of the doctor's prototype. Only a few scientists were willing to come: a Takaran scientist Jo'Bril, a married couple Christopher and T'Pan, and a Klingon, Kurak. Crusher expected disbelief from the group, but the fact that they came made her hopeful. She gathered the group in the science lab and began by stating the vision that the group had for the potential benefits. Furthermore, Reyga was willing to share rights with whoever helped him. Reyga plans to perform a test using an Enterprise-D shuttle, the Justman. It is to be fitted with Dr. Reyga's experimental shield and flown into a nearby star, Veytan, a lofty goal as it is a particularly superdense corona, but Reyga is confident. As they are all skeptical, they decide that someone other than the Ferengi should pilot the shuttle. Jo'Bril volunteers and Reyga thanks him. At the test flight, they all watch from the bridge as Jo'Bril enters the Veytan's corona. Everything seems to be going as planned until suddenly Jo'Bril becomes short of breath. There are increased levels of baryon particles. He barely pilots the shuttle out of the star and is beamed on the Enterprise before dying in sickbay. Act Two Guinan says Crusher shouldn't take it too hard since she wasn't in control. Reminded of what Picard said to her during the autopsy she performed on Jo'Bril, she recalled the frustration she felt at the unexplained nature of his death. His anatomy was very different from other humanoids. In fact, she cannot understand his physiology at all, especially why his s seem to be decaying at such a slow rate. He also has no discrete organs and they are all distributed equally throughout his body, which should make him incredibly resistant to injury. Meanwhile, Data and La Forge analyze the Justman. The plasma flow regulators, the field emitter coils, and radial force compensators were all functioning normally. La Forge found the damage to the hull, confirming the shield was breached by the radiation. Reyga is livid and cannot accept that the shield was at fault. Gathering the scientists in the science lab, Crusher explains she has no choice but to end the visit. Reyga pleads with the other scientists to allow him a second test, but meets intense opposition, including Crusher, who refuses to put anyone at further risk. He seems determined to prove himself and leaves. A few hours later, he is found dead from a plasma discharge. Act Three Worf judges the death was a suicide, but Beverly is incredulous as he had tightly clutched his hand on the plasma infuser instead of dropping it, the normal response. She plans on performing an autopsy on him, but, after speaking to Picard about how unusual the death was, she learns the family won't permit it and arrangements have already been made to have his body returned home so they can perform the Ferengi death ritual. Frustrated, Dr. Crusher explains the situation to Ogawa and decides to perform an investigation of her own. She confronts Christopher and T'Pan in their quarters, and Christopher becomes incensed. Eventually, he mentions that Kurak and Reyga had a fiery argument shortly before his death. Dr. Crusher then confronts Kurak, much to her own peril, as the Klingon scientist throws her violently against the wall. As she determines Kurak also did not murder Reyga, she finds herself stumped. Finally, knowing she will be disobeying a direct order, she performs an autopsy on Reyga, believing that it will answer her questions… and can find nothing. She informs Picard, who is extremely disappointed. Picard has no choice but to relieve her from duty and report her conduct to Starfleet Medical. Guinan encourages Dr. Crusher to continue her investigation, as she has nothing left to lose. Act Four Crusher finds Data in the Justman making sure it wasn't permanently damaged by the radiation. She asks his help to determine a possible sabotage scenario. Data deduces that, if it happened, it must have been done during Jo'Bril's test flight, and it's unlikely he did it himself and put himself in danger. Another scenario is that a phased ionic pulse beamed directly into the projection matrix would result in a temporary system malfunction by forming a tetryon field. Realizing she could confirm the tetryon field from Jo'Bril's tissue, she heads for sickbay. On the way, Riker cautions her from doing more damage to herself, but she tells him she knows what she's doing. Ogawa finds Crusher attempting to access the computer, but her access has been revoked. When Crusher tries to leave without involving her, Ogawa decides to help anyway, activating the computer for Crusher. They perform an additional examination of Jo'Bril's body and confirm the tetryon particles. It's not conclusive evidence, Ogawa reminds her, but it does indicate there may have been sabotage of the metaphasic shield. Crusher decides to take the Justman with Dr. Reyga's modifications into the star herself, and leaves the Enterprise while the bridge crew watches from afar. Act Five Picard urges her to come back, but she is determined. She's already isolated the navigational system and is too close to the star for Worf to attempt to stop the shuttle. Picard tries to reason with her to no avail even as the temperature rises. After a few minutes, it appears that the shield is working. Crusher is delighted and tells Picard that one of the three remaining scientists must be the murderer. She asks that he confine them to quarters, but just then the communication drops. On board the Justman, Jo'Bril emerges from his hiding place armed with a phaser, and tells Dr. Crusher that his species are able to control their metabolic function to the point where they can simulate death. Crusher realizes he heard all her plans while lying "dead" on a slab in the morgue. He admits that the metaphasic shield is a reality, and that he plans to simulate a warp core breach in the shuttle, wait until the Enterprise leaves (as its sensors cannot penetrate the star's corona sphere), and then take her and the shuttle back to his homeworld, where he will perfect the technique and sell it as his own for a weapon. Crusher then engages him in hand-to-hand combat over the phaser. Dr. Crusher's self-defense training proves far superior to Jo'Bril's, as she delivers a painful round-house kick, causing him to fall down and drop the phaser. Beverly grabs it and shoots him, blowing a hole in his torso. To her shock, this doesn't slow him down at all, only serving to annoy him. Crusher quickly adjusts the setting of her phaser and shoots him again, this time, shooting to kill; Jo'Bril is vaporized by her phaser fire. She immediately adjusts heading and returns to the Enterprise. On board the Enterprise they are beginning a search for shuttle debris when the Justman emerges from the star's corona and Dr. Crusher tells them she finally has the answers about Reyga's murder. She returns to the ship, where she is reinstated to active duty. She goes to Ten Forward and gives Guinan a tennis racket she replicated, of the latest design, so that Guinan and will never get tennis elbow again – but Guinan admits she has never played tennis. Log entries * [[Medical officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)#Relieved of duty|Medical officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)]] Memorable quotes "Well, you better go to sickbay. I think Dr. Selar's on duty." "I don't want to see Dr. Selar, I always see you. I'm very particular about my doctors." "Well, you better get a new one because I'm not a doctor on this ship anymore." : - Crusher to Guinan after she comes to her quarters complaining of tennis elbow "I can hear Admiral Brooks now telling me how I've disgraced Starfleet Medical. Then, a leisurely day and a half before the formal inquiry begins and my career ends." "Beverly… my elbow." : - Crusher on how her career is finished while Guinan asks to be looked at "You know, I've never been to a formal inquiry." "Well, I'll see if I can arrange one for you. All you have to do is disobey orders, violate medical ethics and cause an interstellar incident." "Well, I guess that would do it." : - Guinan and Crusher "I saw… the sun!" :- Dr. Jo'Bril, saying his "last" words "I don't want you to get involved in this." "''Is that an order, doctor?" "Yes!" "Too bad you're not my boss anymore." :- Beverly Crusher and Alyssa Ogawa "Thank you, doctor. This looks like a great racket but, uh… I don't play tennis. Never have." : - Guinan, when Crusher gives her a racket guaranteed not to cause tennis elbow (last lines; also Guinan's last lines in the series) Background information Production history * Final draft script: * Premiere airdate: * First UK airdate: Continuity * This episode marks the final appearance of Guinan on the series, though she remains on the Enterprise-D. She plays an integral role in , and has a brief appearance in . * The metaphasic shield technology was later used by the Enterprise-D under the command of Dr. Crusher in to combat the Borg. James Horan also guest starred in that episode, but as Lieutenant Barnaby, an Enterprise-D crewmember. * In this episode, it is stated that Ferengi are to be buried after death and are very adamant that the body not be "violated" before burial. On , a different Ferengi death ritual for the Grand Nagus and for Quark is shown involving vacuum-desiccated remains that are sold to the highest bidder. ( ) However, since the Deep Space Nine episode refers specifically to The Grand Negus's funeral as appropriate for a Ferengi "of his stature," it may be that death ritual of vacuum-desiccated remains does not apply to the Ferengi scientist in this episode because, as a disgraced failure, there would be no (financial) interest in his remains. * Stock footage from the fourth season episode is used, including Mary Kohnert as Ensign Tess Allenby. * Dr. Crusher faces suspension and court martial not because she believed there was sabotage (which there was), but because she autopsied Reyga (which offended the Ferengi and in particular his family, and did not contribute to proving the sabotage). But in the end she is not punished for this. Video and DVD releases * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 74, * As part of the TNG Season 6 DVD collection Links and references Starring * Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard * Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker Also starring * LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge * Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf * Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher * Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi * Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data Guest stars * Patti Yasutake as Alyssa Ogawa * Tricia O'Neil as Kurak * Peter Slutsker as Reyga * James Horan as Jo'Bril * John S. Ragin as Christopher * Joan Stuart Morris as T'Pan ;And Special guest star * Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan Co-star * Majel Barrett as Computer Voice Uncredited co-stars * David Keith Anderson as Armstrong * Arratia as Alfonse Pacelli * Carl David Burks as Russell * Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae * Robert Cox as Marquez * Hal Donahue as command division lieutenant * Goldie Ann Gareza as command division officer * Christie Haydon as command division ensign * Arvo Katajisto as Torigan * Mary Kohnert as Tess Allenby * Ron Large as command division officer * Michael Moorehead as science division ensign * Joyce Robinson as Gates * Richard Sarstedt as command division ensign * Unknown actor as operations division officer Stunt doubles * Tom Morga as stunt double for James Horan * Patricia Tallman as stunt double for Gates McFadden Stand-ins * David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton * Carl David Burks – stand-in for Brent Spiner * Michael Echols – stand-in for Michael Dorn * Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis * Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden * Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes * Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart References Altine Conference; autonomic functions scan; autopsy files; baryon; bearing; board of inquiry; ; cabin; Celsius; "contradiction in terms"; cortical stimulator; DNA; Earth; Ferengi; Ferengi death ritual; Ferengi government; Ferengi ship; field emitter coil; fired; forensics; formal inquiry; Justman; Kelvin; Klingon; medical logs; medical personnel; medical tricorder; metaphasic shield; ; millimeter; Mintakan tapestry; medical ethics; morgue; painting; phased ionic pulse; plasma infuser; poison; polarity; Qo'noS; rad; radiation; Reyga's family; science lab; science station; security guard; Selar; sextant; sickbay; slander; Starbase 23; Starfleet Medical; subspace morphology; subspace technology; subspace theoretician; Takara; Takaran; temperature; tennis; tennis elbow; tennis racket; tetryon; tetryon radiation; tissue; transporter lock; Type 6 shuttlecraft; Vaytan; Vulcan Science Academy Other references * Takaran anatomy: aorta; bronchus; carotid artery; heart; jugular vein; large intestine; liver; lung; stomach; superior vena cava; thyroid; trachea External links * * * * |next= }} de:Verdächtigungen es:Suspicions fr:Suspicions (épisode) it:Sospetti (episodio) ja:新亜空間テクノロジー超フェイズシールド（エピソード） nl:Suspicions pl:Suspicions Category:TNG episodes